Urban Sprawl in San Jose CA

In the 1960s and 1970s, Western cities such as San Jose, Portland and Los Angeles were seen to epitomize sprawl. But since the 1980s, these and other metropolitan areas have reached the geographic and legal limits of development and can no longer continue to spread out. San Jose is hemmed in by mountains, marshland, other metropolitan areas and a greenbelt. On the power point map link below, notice how census tracts become denser over time. Between 1970 and 2000, San Jose grew by almost 60% without an appreciable increase in land area.

Click here for a power point presentation on sprawl in San Jose